October
by VampireQueenAkasha
Summary: AU. Sequel to Neverland. There was peace, for a time. But even among that peace, there is conflict closer to home than she wanted. Shockwave X Red Alert. - M for reasons. -
1. One

**October**

**Author's Note**: This is a little sequel I came up with for Neverland. I thought about it shortly after seeing Age of Extinction, but now I have a bit of a plot worked out. It'll take place before and after. This will feature the two children of Shockwave and Red Alert. We know you do have a choice and thank you for choosing Crackships Air. If you look to your right, you should see smut in the distance.

_"The marks humans leave are too often scars."_

- John Green, The Fault in Our Stars

_"Sometimes when you pick up your child you can feel the map of your own bones beneath your hands, or smell the scent of your skin in the nape of his neck. This is the most extraordinary thing about motherhood - finding a piece of yourself separate and apart that all the same you could not live without."_

- Jodi Picoult, Perfect Match

**By: VampireQueenAkasha**

~O~

**One**

"Solus, stop."

The younger femme rolled her optics at her brother's warning as they made their way through an Earth forest. Jhiaxus had chosen a Hennessey Venom GT for his alternative mode where she decided to take what the humans called an Aston Martin Vanquish. The name itself was perfect for her.

"Come on, Wimpy Wheels." she taunted. "Scared of them?"

Jhiaxus revved his engine with dismay. "No. But mother would be furious if she knew we were here. We need to go back."

Solus exhaled through her intakes. "Just a little closer, okay?"

"Fine. But then we get back to the ship."

Solus revved her engine, creeping slowly through the forest until she spotted a human park where children were playing and having fun. She was curious, but in the wrong way.

"Why do we hide from them?" she asked.

"Because mother says it's for the best," Jhiaxus argued. "And father tells us the humans are far more formidable than you think."

"I do not fear them." Solus argued. "We could take their little planet for our own, can't we?"

Jhiaxus revved his engine and bumped her. "You've heard the stories, Solus."

"But where they failed, we could win, can't we?"

"Solus, you know that's wrong," Jhiaxus argued. "Now let's get home."

He turned and transformed. She did the same.

Of the siblings, Jhiaxus was taller than his sister and possessed two red optics. He had a thin, wiry frame and the same rib-like chest as his father. His armor plating was violet and possessed red striping and he had little mandibles along the sides of his mouth and sharp teeth. He also had the same ear finials as Shockwave. According to his mother, he had been named after the finest Decepticon Scientist in the universe.

When he spoke, his vocals occasionally hissed out words, much like that of his father. In a sense, he wasn't what most would consider attractive, but he was perfectly fine with his appearance and had no flaw in his self-worth the way his father believed he would.

Solus was different in that regard, though.

She was smaller in build, but possessed thin, deadly horns on her helm. She had a mixture of red and blue optics - an abnormal trait among most of her kind, and strong, feminine features. Unlike her brother, she was a striking image of beauty and deadliness that made her a bit of a concern for her mother. She had been named after one of the Thirteen Original Primes; a factor that her father didn't particularly like, but didn't argue after her mother had found a way to persuade him.

When she spoke, her vocals flowed like the finest Energon. She was confident, but also more curious about things than her brother was. But she had an morbid curiosity that made her a concern in some ways. She had stepped on a human once during their trips and found it humorous the way the body had burst so easily.

Jhiaxus had been bothered by that, but no one had known that she accidentally killed a human. Since then, she had been more curious about them.

"First one to the ship changes the oil in the engines!" Solus teased.

Jhiaxus laughed. "You're on!"

The siblings raced to their cloaked, drop ship and Solus was the first inside. She laughed and teasingly shoved her brother.

"Hope you like rust, Wimpy Wheels!" she taunted.

"Stop calling me that!" he protested.

Solus laughed cheerfully. "Can't help it if it's true, baby brother!"

"I'm older than you!"

"You're still a baby!"

O

The two returned to their home - their warship stationed on Titan, a moon that orbited Saturn. They made their way into the ship and were greeted by Red Alert.

"Where have my children been?" she asked, folding her arms across her chest.

Solus and Jhiaxus looked at each other. "We were..." Jhiaxus tried.

"Just investigating the other moons," Solus lied. "We saw some interesting sediments that I think - "

Red Alert gave her a stern frown. "Solus, you realize that I'm your mother and therefore bonded to you through our link." she argued, interrupting her. "I know you went to Earth. I can see fragments of your trip all over your armor and helm."

Solus cringed, anticipating the worst.

"Solus, we discussed this," Red Alert said, sternly, "It's dangerous. You dragged your brother - once again! - to Earth when I explicitly told you not to. I will be speaking with your father about this."

Solus frowned in protest. "But mother - "

"But nothing." Red Alert interrupted. "Now get cleaned up and ready for nourishment."

She walked away and left the younger femme fuming there. Jhiaxus watched their mother depart before smiling weakly and clasping his hands together.

"Well then..." he said. "That went well."

Solus gave him a skeptical glare.

While they departed for their rooms, Red Alert found Shockwave working in his laboratory, tending to Grindor by cleaning his sides with a large, bristled brush. The Driller whirred excitedly when she entered. Red Alert smiled wearily and patted the creature's massive side before turning to her mate.

"Something troubles you." Shockwave rumbled.

Red Alert sighed. "I don't know what I'm going to do with that child."

"Has Jhiaxus blown up another lab again?"

"No. It's Solus."

"What has she done this time?" Shockwave set the brush down.

"She visited Earth after I've told her not to," Red Alert told him. "Those two have even begun to pick up the human linguistics. Primus knows I have no idea what they're talking about half of the time. I was only on Earth for a short time."

"Enough to educate me on their music, as I recall."

Red Alert managed to smile. "Yeah, that's true."

Shockwave straightened, flexing his shoulders a bit. "I will speak with her regarding her reckless behavior." he said. "She must learn her place while living in this ship."

Red Alert wasn't entirely thrilled with Shockwave's methods of persuasion when it came to their children, but Solus did listen to him more than she did her, so perhaps it would prove to work out.

Shockwave could hear her thoughts and clicked his mandibles.

"I have never heard a complaint about my methods in the past." he rumbled.

Red Alert's optics went up and she smirked. "Okay, you have me there."

"Later, I will."

Red Alert grinned and sauntered away.

O

Solus was lying in her berth and dug scratches into her wall with her sword.

Jhiaxus entered the room and let out a sigh of dismay, folding his arms across his chest. He shook his head and she glanced up at the sound before scowling at him.

Jhiaxus chuckled. "You really glitched out there, sister."

"Oh, _I_ glitched out?" Solus snapped, sitting up. "_You _glitched out! You didn't do anything to cover me, fragging Judas."

"You dragged me out there," Jhiaxus shot back, "I'm not going to cover you in front of mother just because you've got a weird obsession with humans."

Solus glared at him. Her optic shutters clicked as she blinked furiously. "I'm not obsessed with them!"

"Oh really?" Jhiaxus made his vocals higher, waving his hands in a feminine manner, "'Hey there, Jhiaxus; I just want to get a good look at them! They're so small and squishy! Why did our father ever lose to them! I could pop them under my wheels'!"

Solus snorted through her intakes. "I don't sound like that!" But she smiled, amused. "You sound like a horrible engine that won't turn over!"

"It's better than little princess!"

Solus scowled at his laugh. "Frag you, baby engine!"

She produced a dagger from her leg and stabbed him in the shoulder. Jhiaxus yowled in pain and Solus laughed mockingly.

"Serves you right, fragger." she sneered.

"You mother - " Jhiaxus snarled.

The two started fighting in the room, wrestling and clawing at each other. Their fighting sent items, shelves and various other objects to the floor. Shockwave entered the room and his optic narrowed.

He uttered a thunderous command in Decepticon that stopped them immediately. They quickly straightened up and Jhiaxus removed the dagger embedded in his shoulder. Shockwave looked from him to Solus before he gestured to the younger femme.

"Solus, come with me," he ordered.

Jhiaxus smirked at her. "Ooh, busted!"

"Shut up." Solus snapped.

She followed Shockwave out of the room. They passed several drones who did not look up. Shockwave uttered a Decepticon command to one of them and he turned attention to his daughter.

"I have heard you ventured to Earth again." he said.

Solus nodded. "I did."

"Has your mother repeatedly said not to?"

"...Yes."

"Then why must you continue to do so?"

Solus frowned, looking up at her father. "I don't understand why we hide from them, father." she protested. "They're weak. Nothing but parasites wriggling on its surface. We could have that planet."

"It was attempted before." Shockwave replied. "By an Autobot fool who nearly had us all killed. I will not die at the hands of those maggots."

"So you fear them?"

Shockwave's optic narrowed and his mandibles spread in a hiss. "Do not. EVER. Suggest such a thing." he warned, turning and glaring at her now.

Solus watched as he turned his back to her.

"You will not return to Earth." Shockwave said. "And that is my final decision."

Solus let out a groan of protest and kicked the wall beside her. It dented and she winced with a groan of pain, holding it with a furious curse. A drone watched her and she glared at him.

"What are you looking at?" she snapped.

O

Red Alert wasn't happy when she tended to Jhiaxus' shoulder.

"I am going to confiscate your weapons. Both of you," she said, dabbing his wound gently. "You two do more fighting than I can keep up with."

Jhiaxus rolled his optics.

"Young bot, don't roll those optics," Red Alert scolded, slapping his other shoulder lightly in reprimand. "You know I don't like that."

"Mother, I love my sister." Jhiaxus said. "But I'm worried about her."

Red Alert frowned thoughtfully. "Why do you say that?"

"She's got this...eerie fascination with the humans," he said. "I'm worried she's going to try something stupid. I try to talk to her, but she won't listen."

Red Alert looked troubled. Her brow knotted and she cleaned Jhiaxus' wound with a cloth. "I know. Solus' violent tendencies concern me."

"At least she listens to father."

"Yes. Hopefully Shockwave's words got through to her."

"With Solus, it's hard to believe."

In her room, Solus was throwing a temper tantrum; she furiously punched the walls and kicked her things everywhere. She howled with rage and clawed her own face.

"It's not FAIR!" she screamed, practically slavering like a wild animal. "I HATE HIDING LIKE THIS! I HATE IT!"

She threw an empty cage against the wall and it crashed to the floor.

Solus collapsed in her berth, screaming again into the sheets.

O

_Note_ - Well? What do you think so far? Some of Solus' and Jhiaxus' antics are inspired by being the oldest of four other young siblings. So yes, we did fight a lot. LOL.


	2. Two

~O~

**Two**

Red Alert was still troubled that evening.

She was lying on Shockwave's back, straddling him and massaging the plating with her hands covered in warm oil. He relaxed with a low growl, his arms crossed in front of him. It had taken a long time for him to be used to laying this way, with his back exposed. After all, trust had been difficult for him.

While she massaged him, they spoke about the situation with the Autobots and Decepticons still on Earth. While the war was over as far as they were concerned, most still felt less than obliged to live with that.

"I do not wish to discuss this any more," Shockwave told her.

Red Alert sighed and glanced upwards. "I know. But I haven't heard from them in some time. It bothers me a little, that's all."

"Humans have their own agendas," Shockwave said. "It is no concern of mine what the Autobots choose to do among them."

Red Alert rolled her optics.

Shockwave turned his head partially to look back at her. "I feel your disdain, but this was your decision, Red Alert. There is always a price to pay, you know that. The Autobots will no longer contact you? That is on them, then. Not us and how we live."

"I suppose..."

Shockwave clicked his mandibles together in a familiar rhythm, a gesture of deep thought. He could feel doubt flow through their link and murmured his displeasure. Red Alert sighed and leaned down, placing a kiss against the side of his face.

"You're right. I'm sorry." she said. "I've had a lot on my mind lately."

"I know..."

She chuckled a little. "Yeah, my mind's too loud. I remember."

Shockwave relaxed with a rattling click. "I've gotten used to that by this point."

Red Alert murmured affectionately and Shockwave turned, rolling so that he was on top of her. Her fingers lightly brushed the scars along his mouthplates and cheeks. That gaze was nothing short of adoring. It still took time to get used to, even after what they had endured.

She too had learned to appreciate everything about him, even after they'd bonded and had younglings. To the aggressive way he went about things and even to his rough, beastly vocals; she loved all of him. To think that a long time ago, she would have probably tried to shoot him on the battlefield. No doubt he would have done the same without hesitation.

"Must you always think on the past?" Shockwave sighed, his mandibles biting down firmly on her shoulder plating. Not enough to hurt, but firm enough to express his exasperation.

"Without the past, I wouldn't have been here with you..." Red Alert shivered when his claws began to spread her legs - it was a distraction and he was good at it, "And Jhiaxus. And Solus. And - Shockwave, I can't answer your question when you're touching me."

Shockwave rumbled rather heatedly. The amusement in her vocals told him she was getting in on the game. The Decepticon part of him truly enjoyed watching her squirm for him, then plead and finally scream. It was just a minor thing he reveled in.

"And will you stop me?" he hissed, circling her left leg around his waist.

She smirked at him, arching a single optic brow. "Maybe you want me to fight you."

Shockwave's chest ribs expanded a little. His single optic narrowed to a mere dot and he hissed at her in Decepticon. Red Alert had only been able to learn a little of their language, but she knew what he was saying and responded back with a seductive smirk.

_The Autobot wishes to be interrogated._

She knew it was his way of getting in on the act at times. Rarely did he ever address her as an Autobot and simply just called her by her name. But in times like this, it seemed to please him. So she went in on the game.

"Go ahead, Mighty Decepticon," she played, stretching her arms out above her. "Make me talk."

That wouldn't be an issue.

Shockwave's claws made their way toward her chest grill, working through dips and crevices in a way that she always liked. His optic flared with heat as he studied her like an appreciative predator. That complex mouth moved across her chest plating, biting and nipping delicate components before moving to the cabling in her neck.

Red Alert's engine purred with content, vibrating the circuitry in his chest. Shockwave hissed at that, lightly brushing the ribs of his chest against hers. If there was one thing that really worked for him, it was her engine. The vibrations seemed to stimulate him in all the right ways.

Shockwave moved his claws lower, finding her panel and stroking it with delicious firmness. His other hand found a seam in her side and the combined stimulation drew a low, pleased moan from her lips.

Just then, a knock on their door froze them both. Shockwave glanced down at her and he growled lowly at the interruption.

"Mother?" It was Jhiaxus.

Red Alert looked up at Shockwave, mouthing "I'll handle this" before she leaned her head back.

"Yes?" she called.

"I'm going out for a drive. I might take Solus." Jhiaxus said, "We're just going outside for a while. I think a little practice might do some good."

"Okay, be safe, honey!"

"Will do!"

The two heard him transform and ride off down the corridors outside of their room and Red Alert chuckled softly, shaking her head.

"Well that keeps them busy." she said.

Shockwave let out a rough sound. "Now then...where was I?"

He resumed his torturous touches; those claws worked the panel of her valve before it opened up. She was nicely lubricated, which pleased him. Already, she was aroused.

Red Alert squirmed and pursed her lips, attempting to stay silent and not scream as was the way of their game. Shockwave wouldn't have that. He slid two thick digits into her valve, watching her back arch in a lovely curve at the sudden intrusion. Still, she tightened her lips and refused to cry out.

"Trying to fight it?" he hissed.

She opened her optics and smirked at him, though the look was rather humorous given the need flaring in those optics. She swayed her hips back and forth, tightening her valve around his digits. His own spike had emerged and she couldn't help but brighten her optics at the sound.

"I could ask you the same thing." she crooned.

Shockwave snarled at her, withdrawing his fingers. He sat up, straightening and pulling her body close, those thick, massive arms holding her tightly to his chest. She straddled him, gripping his shoulders and almost cried out when he abruptly thrust himself into her. If not for biting down on his shoulder, she would have.

Shockwave's mandibles flicked with lubricant before he hissed at her. His entire frame shuddered and the patience was gone as he watched her face, searching for any signs of falter.

Red Alert squirmed on that impaling spike, her valve convulsing around him. The wet, tight heat caressing his spike threatened him, but he would not lose the game. Shockwave wasn't much for losing in many regards, especially when it came to their berth-related escapades.

She smirked at him and gnawed her lower lip, refusing to cry out. Shockwave clicked at that. Well she certainly was resilient, but not for too long.

"So be it then." Shockwave growled.

He found his pattern now, those claws tightly holding her hips as he moved quickly. Each thrust went deeper than the last and Red Alert struggled to contain her vocals, but it became more and more difficult with each movement. Especially since he began to rub against hyper-sensitive nodes deep within.

Shockwave's claws worked in seams in her lower back and she buried her face in his great shoulder, fighting it for a few moments more before she could take no more.

"Scream for me." he commanded, vocals thick with hunger.

A fierce cry escaped her as she overloaded, tossing her head back and digging her fingers into his shoulders. Shockwave let out a fierce, triumphant hiss, continuing to move within her until he found his own overload. He spilled transfluid into her and she shuddered, moaning at the feel of it before relaxing into his arms, utterly spent.

"You lose again, Red Alert." he rumbled.

She murmured with content, uttering a soft chuckle. "To be fair, I don't really count a processor-blowing overload as a really big loss."

Shockwave's chest expanded as he took a moment to collect his intakes.

"Although when I can't walk straight for a while, I'm blaming you." she quipped, lightly teasing his chin with one finger.

Shockwave clicked somewhat at the feel, his mandibles moving as he attempted to nibble on that digit. It tickled and she couldn't help her amused laugh.

"And if we are confessing things, I find your screams rather superb." he replied.

She arched an optic brow. "I know you do."

"And that pleases you?"

"Yep."

Shockwave's mandibles tickled her chin and she smiled, placing a kiss against his complex mouth.

"Now I need to get cleaned up," Red Alert said. "I have to work with the children later on their studies."

"Very well."

Shockwave bodily lifted her and she quickly wrapped her arms around his neck to steady herself.

"I'll clean you up." he said.

She chuckled. "And by 'clean you up', you mean bring me to another overload?"

"However you wish to translate it."

O

Solus and Jhiaxus raced across the moon's surface.

Jhiaxus was in the lead thus far, cheering with delight. His sister wasn't too far behind him though.

"Second born, second place!" he yelled.

"Keep talking, Wimpy Wheels!" Solus shot back.

Jhiaxus propelled himself off of a makeshift ramp and spun in midair, but Solus followed and the propulsion in her tanks launched her passed him, those tires squealing across his frame before landing hard.

"You rotten cheat!" Jhiaxus yelled, racing beside her, "You used your propulsion rockets!"

"You're just mad because you didn't think of it first!"

Jhiaxus growled furiously and gunned his engine. Both siblings were riding back toward the ship when Red Alert stepped out. Her optics widened when she saw them coming right for her.

"Oh frag!" they cried.

Jhiaxus and Solus swerved to avoid her and were going so fast, they ended up spinning out of control and fell into a ditch with a collection of curses and crashes. Red Alert winced before she quickly rushed to the ditch, just as her children climbed out.

"Are you two okay?" she exclaimed.

Solus winced and spat dust out of her mouth. "Yeah..."

"Good." Red Alert said. "It's time for your studies. Let's go."

"But mother!" Solus protested.

"No 'buts', young lady." Red Alert chided.

The two young bots were later taught on the history of Cybertron while Shockwave remained present to also add his own input. Jhiaxus was paying attention, but Solus was bored. She leaned back in her seat and flicked a stray drone bot off of her table.

"...and in the Civil War of Iacon - " Red Alert stopped when Jhiaxus raised his hand. "Yes?"

"Why can't we just go back to Cybertron?" Jhiaxus asked.

Red Alert glanced at Shockwave and he folded his arms across his chest, before gesturing with one hand to the boy as if expecting her to have that answer. She frowned at him.

"Shockwave, that's not fair," she protested. "You know I wasn't there."

Solus frowned thoughtfully and sat up. "Wait, father said the Autobots were at fault for it."

Red Alert wavered in disbelief before she arched her optic brows at Shockwave. "Is that what you've been telling them this whole time?"

"It's the truth."

Jhiaxus looked a little confused. "Wait...you don't know what actually happened?"

Red Alert shook her head. "Optimus told me the chance had been taken away by Decepticons."

Shockwave snorted; a strange, foreign sound. "Of course, he'd make it out to be our fault." he sneered. "Because we know Autobots can do no wrong."

Now, Red Alert looked angry. "Oh, is that what you think of me?"

"I didn't say you, Red Alert."

"But it was implied. You had a tone."

"I can see you have to point out every aspect of a bot's vocal tones if you believe it offends you."

"Okay, so we're going back to that again?"

"You started it!"

"I didn't start anything!"

"Optimus and his band of Autobots destroyed the pillar to save the wretched human race!" Shockwave spat, "I had a view of their attempts moments before Optimus shoved his knuckles into my side!"

Red Alert stood there, stunned by those words. "Wait. Wait, wait..." she said, "So you mean to tell me that our planet is destroyed because they wanted to save the indigenous species instead of our home?"

"Yes." Shockwave snapped.

Red Alert stood there, unable to process what she had heard. Sure, she believed the humans had the right to live as much as any of them, but to destroy their only home? She was torn by this decision and even more that she had been lied to about it.

"Mother?" Jhiaxus rose. "Are you okay?"

Red Alert shook her head in disbelief. She had not seen that part during her bonding to Shockwave because he had been disabled before it happened.

"But...why would they lie to me?" she protested. "It doesn't make any sense!"

"It makes perfect sense," Shockwave muttered. "Prime has to always make himself out to be perfect and pure, does he not?"

Red Alert genuinely looked upset by this, her features twisting as if she struggled not to cry. Instead of speaking any further, she simply brushed passed him and left the room. Shockwave watched her go, his mouthparts going rigid with a sort of anger.

"So..." Solus began, uncomfortable. "Do we sit here or can we go?"

Shockwave gestured with one hand. "Go." he ordered.

The two siblings left without argument.

Shockwave stood there for a moment before growling deeply at what had happened. He felt his mate's sense of pain through their link.

The Autobots had lied. Well, she should have seen that.


	3. Three

~O~

**Three**

"So do you really think he did it?"

Jhiaxus and Solus engaged in target practice while a drone hurriedly set them up in the distance. Each time they shot them, he'd quickly pry them back up before they could go again.

Jhiaxus had asked the question and Solus shook her head.

"Don't know, aft-head," she snorted, "I wasn't there."

She shot a target and the drone held up a hand. "Good shooting there, lady Solus!" he called.

Solus smirked at him in response.

"I know, glitch," Jhiaxus shot back. "I mean, do you THINK he did it?"

Solus shrugged her shoulders. "I wouldn't put it passed him," she replied. "Remember those war stories father used to tell us when we were sparklings?"

"Yeah, but that's just one perspective."

Solus scoffed and looked at him with annoyance. "Wake up and smell the tailpipe fumes, brother." she snapped. "It's no surprise what Prime is. He did that horrible slag to father, remember?"

"Yeah, but..."

Solus rolled her optics and took three shots that eliminated three targets without missing. The drone cheered for her and thrust a fist in the air.

"That is what I call a whoop-aft sandwich!" he yelled.

The two siblings stared at him in silence for a moment.

"That was fragging stupid." Solus snapped.

"Pretty fragging stupid. Yeah." Jhiaxus quipped.

The drone shifted with embarrassment and began gathering the targets without any further addition to the conversation. Solus let out a sigh and looked at Jhiaxus.

"I think those humans had something to do with this too," she added. When Jhiaxus sighed impatiently, she shook her head with annoyance. "No, hear me out. Remember what we read about? In the old archives on the ship? About how humans were involved in collaborations with Decepticons?"

Jhiaxus frowned thoughtfully. "Yeah, I remember."

"Then by all accounts, it IS the fault of the humans." Solus snapped. She turned and resumed her target practice, taking a few more shots. "I just want to know what those festering maggots gained from it and why they felt any right to our technology."

Jhiaxus was quiet, watching his sister take out the targets without difficulty.

"Do you think about it sometimes?" he asked.

"About what?"

"Us." Jhiaxus said, "How we came into being."

Solus stopped shooting and lowered her gun. She frowned thoughtfully, but said nothing for a while. Finally, she smiled somewhat, but it wasn't in happiness.

"Sometimes." she replied.

"Mother doesn't like to talk about that part of the past," Jhiaxus murmured, "She says we came together through a seemingly impossible circumstance. We're two younglings she can be proud of."

Solus exhaled through her intakes. "Yeah. So she says."

"What do you mean?"

"We're crossbreeds, Jhiaxus." she snapped. "The result of commingling between Autobot and Decepticon. In reality, what does that really make us?"

"Autobot and Decepticon is just a name." Jhiaxus argued, frowning.

"Not to them."

"Who's 'them'?"

"I-I don't know! THEM!" Solus gestured around them with a broad sweep of her hand.

Jhiaxus' optics wandered around, skeptical to her words. It looked as if he was actually trying to find the 'them' that she spoke of, but Solus snorted and shook her head.

"Lady Solus!" the drone called, "Don't tell me this is you losing your sense of humor!"

Solus smirked coldly at him. "No. I haven't lost that." she said.

She aimed her cannon at him and shot at his feet, forcing the drone to do a little dance to avoid the lasers. Solus laughed at the sight and Jhiaxus grimaced with dismay. He didn't find the act quite as amusing as she did. The drone yelped and pleaded for her to stop.

Finally, Solus let up and grinned at her brother. "See? I found that funny."

O

Red Alert watched her children from a window of the ship. She remembered how not too long ago they were so small and carefree. But in the end, Cybertronians matured rapidly; mostly to ensure they could defend themselves at a young age.

_Red Alert laid back in the moon's dust, laughing happily and holding her two children in her arms. They laughed with her. _

_"Mother..." Jhiaxus said, "Are we going to be as strong as you and father?"_

_"You can be whatever you want to be, my little one." Red Alert told him, playfully flicking his forehead. _

Red Alert smiled sadly at the memory.

"Red Alert."

Shockwave approached her and she turned partially to look back at him. He approached her and she exhaled, looking back outside.

"I don't want the past to affect how they grow, Shockwave," she said, "I want them to have the choices we never had. I want them to decide what they want to be."

Shockwave's optic narrowed slightly. "You're deflecting from the argument we had."

He felt a swell of annoyance through their link, but she snorted a little. "I don't want to argue like that again. Particularly in front of them."

"They must know the truth."

"For themselves," Red Alert corrected, "I want them to decide on their own what the truth is."

She was still disappointed by the lie that she had been fed, but looking at it now, it made sense. Perhaps Prime was concerned about how her group would react to the news that they were the ones who destroyed Cybertron. Maybe it was better if she hadn't known. But she did now and nothing would change it.

Shockwave didn't reply. His mandibles moved together; a gesture of thought. He moved closer to her, placing his hands on her shoulders. Red Alert closed her optics, relaxing a little at his touch.

"Do you remember when they were born?" she said, chuckling. "I never thought you could be so gentle."

Shockwave's chest expanded behind her; she could feel the ribs against her back.

"They are mine." he rumbled. "Why wouldn't I be?"

This specific moment was one of the few when she didn't mind his possessive nature. She smiled and raised her hand, placing it against his cheek.

"Yes. Just as I am."

Shockwave's chest vibrated with that low, deep growl.

"Let's try not to fight like that again, okay?" Red Alert turned and looked up at him, her optics serious. "I know some old habits die hard, but let's just try and set a better example. For them, at least."

"I cannot promise that."

Red Alert sighed, exasperated, but clearly trying to understand. "Why not?"

"Because you constantly like to challenge me."

Red Alert put her hands on her hips. "Is that right?"

"Yes. I can name a few instances." Shockwave said. "The incident in my chair... The washroom..."

Red Alert understood and a smirk touched her lips. "Should I stop 'challenging' you?"

"Are you doing so right now?"

"Maybe."

Shockwave hissed at her, forgetting the conversation they were having entirely. He watched as she turned somewhat, raising her shoulder and arching a single optic brow. Her inquisitive stare was one that called him to her.

Shockwave leaned his head forward a bit, so it seemed as though he was frowning. She chuckled and turned, beckoning with one finger for him to follow.

O

Prowl had attempted to contact the ship for hours.

He maintained a disguise, hiding behind the wall of the warehouse as the human forces made their way after him. He breathed heavily through his intakes, choking down a groan of pain. Those mortar shells really hit hard and it wouldn't be long before his Energon trail would lead them to him.

"Red Alert, come in!" he hissed. "Listen, I have little time, but I have to warn you. Stay away from Earth! The humans have gone insane! They're hunting us!"

Meanwhile, Red Alert was walking into the bridge, gathering a few things from the floors, murmuring with dismay. She didn't notice a red light flashing on the controls; Prowl's attempt to reach her.

"Come on, Red!" he begged, staring down at his wrist communicator. "Please!"

"Hold it."

Prowl turned, coming face-to-face with several weapons trained on him by Cemetery Wind. Whatever these wretched humans chose to call themselves.

"Who were you contacting right now?" the one called James Savoy asked.

Prowl raised his weapon. "None of your concern, meat."

"Oh, I think it is," Savoy told him, "Now, you give us the location of Optimus Prime, and we will make sure you get out of this alive."

Prowl smirked coldly. "We both know that won't happen."

"You're a little sharper than the others." Savoy remarked. His amusement disappeared. "Fine then. Have it your way. We'll find him one way or another."

Prowl powered up his laser weapon and it became chaos. Human soldiers raised a barrage of weapon fire upon him and though he attempted to avoid the shots, they ripped through his body.

Prowl's screams echoed through the night air and though he collapsed, he spat viciously in defiance, refusing to show any form of weakness. He laid there in a pool of his own fluids, struggling to swat at the humans before his final, dying breath escaped him.

O

_Note_ - I'm still coming to terms with the fact that Solus pretty much called her brother an "ass-head". XD Just a little line I had used once with my own brother.


	4. Four

~O~

**Four**

Red Alert sighed.

She hung there, upside down by one leg with her arms folded across her chest; her ankle had been caught in a rope snare set up by her two children. They stood there sheepishly, trying to come up with an explanation.

"We were playing a game." Solus said.

Red Alert tilted her head toward her. "Really? What kind of game, exactly?"

"It's called 'Fish in a Barrel'." Solus answered. "We were trying to set traps and see who would step into them first."

Red Alert exhaled. "How many did you set?"

"Twenty." Jhiaxus said.

In the ship, there was an echo of snapping sounds, followed by a chorus of indignant curses and protests. Red Alert glanced up at her children with dismay.

"Please get me down." she told them. "Then we can get down the other victims of your boredom."

The two worked on pulling Red Alert down from the trap. Once she was free, they split up to help the drones who had unfortunately become ensnared in the same manner. Solus worked with her mother while Jhiaxus gathered up the ropes.

"Solus..." Red Alert said.

"Yeah?"

Her daughter was barely paying attention as she reached up to help a drone down. Red Alert looked at her, smiling. She decided to try and bond with her a little more, hoping to curb whatever dark thoughts her daughter had.

"Did I ever tell you about when you were born?" Red Alert asked.

Solus frowned, not looking at her.

"They said I was leaking Energon badly. I lost consciousness." Red Alert continued, "But the only thing I had on my mind was you. I kept that, even before I slipped into stasis. When I woke, they gave you to me. You smiled and looked right at me. I looked at you... You were everything I had dreamed you would be."

Solus looked at the drone she helped down and he had stayed silent, perhaps not feeling it prudent to talk while such a personal conversation was being had.

"I know, mother..." Solus said, mildly embarrassed.

"Your father didn't think anything from his line could be beautiful," Red Alert continued, chuckling, "But the two of you are proof he was wrong."

Solus grimaced. "Aww Primus, mother..." she griped. "Why do you have to get so heavy all of the time?"

Red Alert smiled. "I'm your mother. I'm supposed to be."

Solus smiled a little now and the two embraced, leaving a drone to fall with a grunt. Solus looked over her shoulders down at him and laughed.

"Oops."

Red Alert laughed a little before looking at her daughter seriously. "Now do you see why I worry about you so much?" she asked. "You and Jhiaxus are the only children I've ever had. I never want to lose you. Please, just be safe. Give me a little longer and we can explore the universe together."

Solus didn't seem so sure.

"Okay?" Red Alert pressed.

"...I guess."

O

"I think I've gotten through to Solus."

Shockwave listened to Red Alert while laying back in the bath. "That is pleasant to hear." he mumbled, "That femme's behavior is becoming rather taxing."

Red Alert frowned. "I wouldn't say taxing." she argued gently. "Solus is frustrated. She's been trapped here on this moon her entire life. She has spirit in her and I can understand that. But I want her to know that Earth may be dangerous for her. Especially with her fiery nature."

Shockwave rumbled, his chest expanding a bit. "Regardless, I am not rearing disobedient younglings." He met her gaze. "She will learn her place. I will train with her tomorrow."

Red Alert sighed. "Just...try to show a little more compassion. She is your child too, after all."

"Compassion is a weakness her enemies will not share." Shockwave reminded her.

The femme beside him arched her optic ridges.

"You know what I mean."

She made a thoughtful sound, content with that response.

Meanwhile, Solus had listened to the recording left by Prowl. Jhiaxus entered the room and noticed her thoughtful expression.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Mother's ally, Prowl, left this message." Solus told him. "He was attacked by humans and torn apart."

Jhiaxus' optics widened. "Are you serious?"

"No. I'm completely fragging you, idiot." Solus quipped. "Listen."

She played back Prowl's message and her brother's optics widened in shock. He turned to go and inform his mother about what was sent to them, but Solus grabbed his shoulder.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"To tell mother about this!" Jhiaxus insisted. "She needs to know what the humans are doing to her friends... right?"

Solus shook her head. "This is the perfect chance for us to go there and stop them!" she insisted. "If we show mother what we can do and the lives of her friends we can save, she'll surely see the justice in our actions!"

"Well you can forget it!" Jhiaxus snapped. "You can't forget mother's teachings just because of what humans are doing to the Autobots! It's not our problem!"

"It IS!" Solus spat. "What's stopping the humans there? They could come after us! We will strike now and bring those parasitic worms down! They will learn their place!"

"Maybe we can talk to them." Jhiaxus seemed uncertain.

"Are you so blind?" Solus cried. "They're OBVIOUSLY not willing to sit down and have a chat!"

Jhiaxus grabbed her shoulders and shook her. "Solus, listen to yourself!" he exclaimed, "Do you know how nuts you sound? We can avoid death all together! We don't have to prove a point to them! They're maggots to us! Why give them what they want?"

Solus was quiet, considering this. "M-Maybe you're right..." she said, relaxing - she had been moments away from drawing her sword, "It's stupid. I should just relax."

Jhiaxus stared at his sister warily.

"I'm fine. Really." Solus grinned at him. "I'll just...not think about it."

Her brother seemed unsure. "Well...father wants to train with you some more," he said. "Tomorrow anyway. Maybe get some recharge over it."

"Yeah, that might be good."

The fact that she agreed so easily made him suspicious, but Jhiaxus wasn't going to let his guard down so easily. Still, he nodded his head warily.

"Yeah..."

O

_"Mother...what is this?"_

_"It's a tale of our history. The history of Cybertron."_

_Red Alert had been given a tablet by Solus, who happily climbed into her lap so that her mother could read it for her. Solus was still learning the older languages of their civilization, so she didn't know how to read it all just yet. Jhiaxus joined as well._

_"Mother, is Cybertron bigger than Earth?" Jhiaxus asked her._

_She smiled. "Oh yes."_

_"Why can't we go there?" Solus asked._

_"It was destroyed, my dear..." _

_"By what?"_

_Red Alert looked at her and smiled sadly. "You'll know when you're older," she told her. "Right now, we can read this together. But only if you promise to sleep afterwards."_

_The two younglings bounced excitedly. "We promise!" they said._

_Red Alert laughed. "Okay, here we go then..."_

_Afterwards, once she finished reading the story to them, she walked down the corridors, carrying the sleeping younglings in her arms. _

_Shockwave walked up to her. "Asleep then?"_

_"A story always does it." Red Alert laughed._

_She placed them into their berths; Solus' side of the room was filled with various trinkets and rocks, some of which had been discovered by Shockwave and given as gifts. Jhiaxus' side was more neat and tidy and he had chosen to take up interest in science rather than exploration. _

_"They must learn to grow strong, you know." Shockwave reminded her._

_"Shockwave..." Red Alert protested, a sigh already escaping her intakes._

_Solus' optics had opened and she listened curiously to her parent's conversation. _

_"I am merely stating the inevitable, Red Alert." Shockwave argued, "They will grow fast and must understand the cruelty of war. Though Optimus claims it is over, it will only be a matter of time before their birth reaches the universe. They will be tested by all. I do not want weakness."_

_"Then let them be children for now." Red Alert insisted. "We can worry about that when they're older."_

_"Now or later won't change the outcome."_

_"I know."_

_Solus frowned to herself, thinking about this._


	5. Five

~O~

**Five**

Solus abandoned the moon that night while her parents and brother recharged.

She traveled to Earth and landed in a secluded area in the desert, cloaking her ship before she made her way toward a military base. A smirk lit her lips.

"Let's see how powerful you truly are, maggots." she whispered.

_Kill them._

_Do it. They must die._

Inside the base, there were soldiers in the middle of training before the wall nearest them exploded inward. They were sent scattering and tumbling about. Some of them were hit with debris and others rushed to retrieve their weapons. Solus stepped through the hole she had made, barrel smoking.

"Knock-knock!" she announced.

It became chaos as Solus fired her weapon, kicked at humans scrambling to get away and smashed everything in sight. She yelled out with glee, rolling and avoiding shots from their weapons as if they were nothing to her.

Once the madness had died down, Solus looked around at the piles of dead flesh with delight.

"Well?" she sneered. "Where is all that arrogance? All the pride? Where is it, humans?"

A soft whimpering sound alerted her to a corner. She pushed aside several crates and found a human huddled there in military attire, his eyes wide with fear. She grinned down at him and aimed her cannon in his face. The man's hand trembled and he slowly raised a gun to his head.

Solus' optics widened for a moment when he fired, watching his corpse fall to the floor. His weapon clattered uselessly from his hand.

She clenched her sharp denta furiously before snorting.

"Such a disease you humans are," she hissed, "When you can't kill something, you kill yourselves. The universe would probably cheer me on right now..."

She turned, flinging her weapon against her shoulder before sauntering from the warehouse.

Later on the following day, Jhiaxus awoke and found his sister's berth optics widened and he looked around quickly for a few moments before scowling.

"Oh Primus damn it, Solus!" he cursed, jumping from his berth.

He thought of telling his parents about it, but decided that he should just bring her back himself.

Jhiaxus rushed to his parent's room and found them both still in recharge. It was unusual for his father to rest so late, but he suspected his mother had something to do with that.

So he quickly left.

O

Solus screamed.

Only it was in pure bloodlust.

As she cut down several humans in her path, Solus began to realize an irrefutable fact:

She loved to hunt. She loved to kill and she loved to destroy. This was it. This was what she had been missing her entire existence. This was the need she craved. This was the urge to conquer.

Solus cut down a vehicle at her side, kicking it into a building.

"I thought you humans were stronger!" she bellowed, cackling with glee. "I thought you were made of tougher flesh than this!"

Then, she sensed something approach and turned, spotting Optimus Prime charging into the fray.

"STOP!" Optimus bellowed.

Solus smirked at him and wrist blades slid out from both of her arms. "Optimus Prime." she crooned. "It's such an honor to face the Cybertronian responsible for bringing my father down."

"Father." Optimus squinted at her.

"Shockwave. Your human pests helped, am I right?"

Optimus looked thoughtful for a moment, but his features fell and those optic shutters flicked once; he gave her a look of great sadness.

"Yes." he said. "You must be his daughter. You have some of his qualities, I see."

Solus' optics narrowed. "Let me understand, Prime." she hissed. "As I know, humans have been hunting you, but they had their reasons. They say you chose to bring war to their planet and in the end, they turned on you because they feared what you would do."

Optimus sighed through his intakes. "Humans are no longer going to receive aid from me." he assured her. Behind him stood Hound, Drift and Crosshairs.

"And that negates any real consequence you have to deal with involving the destruction of Cybertron?" Solus spat, her optics wide in fury. "Yes, I know about it! A little bit of information you somehow managed to forget to tell my mother!"

Optimus cringed with pain. "She knows?"

"Yes! She knows my brother and I - two bots born from a union of Decepticon and Autobot - will NEVER get to see the planet of our history! A planet YOU DESTROYED for the sake of these-these bags of flesh!"

Crosshairs chuckled. "Finally, someone gets it."

"Solus. You were named after one of the Original Thirteen, correct?" Optimus asked, worry lighting his features, "I'm sure your mother wouldn't want you on this path."

"Mother is weak." Solus hissed, spiteful from her conflict. "Father's way is strong. Humans deserve to be conquered. To be put in their place. Beneath my feet!"

She crushed a human corpse with her heel to prove her point.

"Solus, enough!" Optimus bellowed. "I know what humans have done. My comrades have been slaughtered because of my foolish trust in them! But even then, there are a few who are good!"

Solus snorted. "And those 'few good ones' will end up spoiling. They always do."

She transformed and rode off. Hound started to follow, but Optimus held up a restraining hand.

"No. She is on her own." he said, sternly. "We have Lockdown to concern ourselves with."

"She's gonna go on a rampage!" Hound argued.

"Then let her. Solus has her own demons to contend with." Optimus replied, emotionlessly. "And she is not our primary concern."

Jhiaxus had been nearby, listening to the conversation the entire time. He kept it recorded in his database and drove away to find his sister.

O

Solus stood at a distance of a laboratory.

A grin lit her face.

Her presence was spotted by several scientists on the screens and monitors within.

"What is that?" one of them exclaimed.

"Is that a Decepticon?"

"No. It has no Decepticon Energy signature!"

"I think it's both."

"Both?! How can it have both?!"

Chatter that emerged from the humans became chaotic, while another was watching the robotic form on screen, frowning thoughtfully.

"Hey! This robot's doing something!" she cried, over the voices.

Outside, Solus leaned forward, raising her fists in a perfect stance as if she was going to sprint in a race. She smirked, knowing they watched her.

Then, she launched herself forward, charging for the laboratory.

The humans inside panicked.

"It's running at us!"

"Get out of here!"

"Fucking run!"

Several soldiers outside of the facility tried to shoot her down, but their bullets simply rebounded off of her frame and Solus snarled at them.

"Run!" the soldiers screamed, taking cover.

Solus charged right through the building, sending debris and rubble flying. She stumbled somewhat as her body tore through the concrete building. It slashed at delicate circuits, but her Energon was pumping hard, thrilled by the rush of combat.

Smoke and fire billowed around her and she could see humans scattering about, trying to flee.

"Where are you going, humans?" she bellowed. "Come and play! Let's see how-"

Solus was abruptly cut off when an artillery round blasted through her side. The pain was so unbearable, she stumbled back and fell to the ground. It was experienced by Jhiaxus, who had been on the highway. He transformed back and tumbled through the air, taking out several cars in the process.

There were frightened screams around him, but he didn't care.

The agonizing pain he felt had come from his sister. His mother would have been too far away to experience it, but he knew that Solus was in trouble.


	6. Six

~O~

**Six**

Solus could not fathom how a swarm of insects managed to bring her down.

She could see something in the distance; a Cybertronian form that was not her brother. Surely he was the one who had taken the shot at her.

"You."

She looked down and a human in sunglasses addressed her.

"I haven't seen you around here before," he said. "You must be a refugee."

Solus snorted with contempt, clutching her side.

"Sir. She doesn't have any symbols." a soldier said; he had been analyzing Solus the entire time. "She's not an Autobot or a Decepticon."

The man in glasses smiled a little. "Then it's obvious what she is." he replied. "She's second generation."

That caused murmurs of surprise around him.

"So you're telling me these fucking things can make babies too?"

The man in glasses looked mildly annoyed by the response, but nodded his head in affirmative. This troubled him further as it meant more could be spawning.

"So how does that work?" he asked the femme before him. "You have parents nearby?"

Solus smirked at him, holding her leaking side. It already felt numb. "No where near you." she hissed. "And you will never know."

"Really?" the human seemed amused. "You think so?"

"I know so." Solus countered. "You species think yourselves above us? You think you have a right to our knowledge and technology?"

"You brought this war to our planet. So by rights, you MADE it ours."

Solus glared at him, squinting. "You think you have a right to this world? A world you destroy every waking second? And THEN you allow our own world to perish?"

"Your kind made that choice."

Solus smirked at him. "They are NOT my kind. They've brought shame to us. My mother may be an Autobot, but that doesn't mean that I will EVER fly under their colors."

"Well," the human in sunglasses sneered. "Not Autobot. Not Decepticon. What are you then?"

Solus actually had no answer.

She didn't know.

"Take her down." the human commanded.

Solus attempted to roll from the barrage of weapon fire, but with each dangerous shot designed to destroy her armor, it became futile. Energon poured from her wounds and she struggled to fight back. Her arm was blasted off and she scrambled to retrieve it, but her movements were slowing.

"To hell with you humans!" she snarled, Energon spewing from her lips.

She collapsed, but not before uttering a stream of nonsensical words that resembled binary code. It didn't take the humans long enough to understand what she was doing.

"She's deleting her hard drive." the human with glasses mused. "Clever. But stupid."

Solus gave a final, dying grin before her optic lights faded and her internals whirred down. Energon poured from her gaping mouth and wounds, forming a terrible pool around her.

"Take her parts to be examined. I know Joshua's going to love this one."

Jhiaxus was nearby, standing there with horror on his face. He didn't even realize that he was walking forward, directly into the battlefield. His presence gained the attention of the humans and the bot in the distance, but they did nothing thus far.

"S-Solus..." he groaned, dropping to his knees before his sister's corpse.

The humans maintained their weapons pointed at him.

"You...killed my sister..." Jhiaxus moaned, his hands shaking.

"She destroyed innocent lives," the human in glasses coldly responded, "Just as your kind took my sister from me. Now you know the pain we endured."

Jhiaxus couldn't move. He couldn't cycle air through his intakes. Pain? This meatbag dared to make that comparison? He felt his sister's death happening over and over in his spark and this human thought he knew what it was? He didn't feel death in his very core. He didn't see his sister's spark die out.

"Solus..." Jhiaxus moaned again.

He let out a scream of rage and seized her dismembered limb, transforming and riding away before the humans could act. He drove recklessly, swerving through traffic without a single mind to the humans.

"Let him go." the human in glasses commanded. "He can go back to his parents with a warning that they're not welcome here."

O

Red Alert knew something was wrong.

"I can feel it in my spark..." she murmured, standing on the moon's surface. "It's...wrong. Something's wrong."

Shockwave looked at her. "I feel it too." he agreed.

"Something's wrong." Red Alert repeated, her concern increasing at the sight of her children's exploratory ship appearing on the horizon. "No..."

Jhiaxus stepped out once the ship landed, slowly walking up to his mother while holding Solus' dismembered limb in his arms. Red Alert didn't see it until he was close enough. Her optics slowly widened in horror and she walked toward him.

"No..." she moaned, gasping in disbelief, "Please no...Oh Primus, no...!"

She ran to him and took her son in her arms, falling to her knees. Seeing the sight of Solus' limb was agonizing; the worst pain she had ever endured in her life. Her son's optics were wide, as if frozen in shock. He seemed to be staring through her.

She screamed.

She screamed and it echoed through the entire moon. Drones and workers on the ship looked in its direction.

"NO!" she wailed. "My daughter! What happened to my daughter?!"

Tears streamed down Red Alert's face and Jhiaxus held her as she cried. She cried louder and harder than he had ever heard her. Shockwave merely watched the scene above them, the pain from her spark lashing through his own. She felt like she was dying over and over again and he experienced it all the more.

Later, he began to destroy his lab; he threw things, violently cursed everything he could and roared with a fury that could bring down the very foundation of the ship. He cursed the Autobots, the humans and everything that had crossed his path; all that impeded him.

He found her once again and when she started crying, he silently placed his arms around her, leaning his helm down and promising her the vengeance she deserved.

"She will be avenged..." he whispered. "I promise you that."

O

Optimus and the other Autobots didn't know if going to see her was particularly wise.

"Red Alert deserves to know about the Creators." Optimus said, evenly. "I have kept secrets from her before, but never again."

"And about her daughter." Drift suggested. "This will not end well..."

Optimus sighed. "Yes."

They approached the ship and were stopped by two Decepticon drones.

"We're here to speak to Red Alert." Optimus told them. "Move aside."

The drones glanced at each other before parting without argument. It was strange to see them do such a thing, but Optimus had a feeling that they already knew what had happened. Still, it would be better if they told her themselves to give her some measure of peace.

Hound was on edge and Drift seemed ready to draw his swords on the Decepticons around them. But Optimus' firm orders were not to attack. He had explained to them what Solus was and how Red Alert had bonded to a Decepticon. They didn't believe it until now.

The group found Red Alert sitting alone. She was still holding Solus' arm to her chest and refused to look up when they entered.

"Red Alert." Optimus said.

No response.

"Come on, doc." Crosshairs quipped, throwing his hands in the air. "Sure you have some explanation for all this mess!"

"Perhaps one of you can explain this to me..." Red Alert's vocals were colder than ice as she held out Solus' limb to them. When she slowly looked up, her optics - the look she gave them could melt steel. Her face was streaked with lubricant tears. "Maybe you can tell me why my child is dead."

Optimus spoke before Crosshairs could. "Solus chose on her own terms to violate your orders to stay." he told her. "She was old enough to understand the consequences."

A cold smile lit Red Alert's face, but pain remained. "Now you see yourself fit to dictate how I should have been raising my children?"

"No. That isn't it." Optimus argued gently, but firmly. "Solus - as I saw her - was filled with conflict and doubt about herself. She had to find the answers on her own."

"How convenient for you." Red Alert whispered, with contempt.

"She died because she chose to attack the humans," Optimus said, frowning down at her. "It was always her choice. We have our jobs to consider. The Creators want us dead for whatever reason. It's time you stood up again and did your duty to our race."

Red Alert scowled at him and stood up. She set Solus' arm down and gave him a look of disbelief and anger.

"My daughter's Energon is still warm on my chest." she said, acidly. "I have her dismembered limb here in front of me. And you are going to stand there and demand I fight again?"

Optimus looked at her with near pleading. "Whatever they want, they will see us dead!" he insisted. "Don't you want to save the rest of your family from them? Sooner or later, they will find you!"

"No." Red Alert spat. "I will not involve my family in any war you may have started with the Creators! You could have stopped Solus! Instead to chose to let her run to her death!"

"Solus' existence will be brought to their attention! The Creators have told Lockdown they refuse to see the mingling of species!"

Red Alert stood there in silence for the longest time. Her look darkened now.

"And now the truth comes forward." she whispered. "Shockwave was right. The almighty Prime of Primes didn't wish to get his servos dirty trying to save the life of a result of mixed Energon."

"That isn't true." Optimus quickly argued.

"Isn't it?" Red Alert hissed, spiteful in her loss. "I saw the way you looked at my children. It could have been fleeting, but you knew, didn't you? You knew what they were."

"Red Alert..." Optimus warned.

"I saw it. The reports." she continued, "Shockwave and I weren't the first. There were others who tried the same thing. But the senators hunted them down like dogs. Killed them and their children. Is that what you want, Optimus? To kill younglings to preserve the 'perfection' of the Autobots?"

"Your daughter made that choice, Red Alert." he told her, his optics filled with sadness now. "I may have chosen not to stop her, but you chose not to help her."

She was silent, staring at him with wide, furious optics. Finally, she turned and remained quiet while the others started to go.

"Optimus?" she said.

He stopped, looking back at her.

"The humans have forever made an enemy of me," Red Alert told him quietly, "I will not see their world destroyed, but should they try to find us... Should they threaten my family in any way, I will not be stopped. Shockwave will fight back and I will not stop him either."

Optimus nodded his head sadly. "I know."

And with that, they went their separate ways.

O

_Note_ - What have I done?!


	7. Seven

~O~

**Seven**

_Several weeks later_

Jhiaxus had been training nonstop.

Shockwave marveled over his relentless attempts to become stronger. Jhiaxus trained until his servos bled, but he never complained about it. In fact, Red Alert had to come and bring him inside for nourishment and recharge. Never once did he argue or refuse his father's commands again.

Red Alert was different all the same. Instead of rebuking any thoughts her son had. She listened. She listened and did not tell him what was right or wrong. Despite what she had said to Shockwave, she knew that she rebuked Solus' thoughts of murder and rampage. Maybe Solus had to get it out somehow and Red Alert had forced her to bottle it in. And so that had led up to her charge on the humans.

"It was my fault."

That evening, Red Alert was lying in the berth with Shockwave. When she had said those words, he looked down at her, but did not answer.

"I shouldn't have stifled her so much..." Red Alert's features twisted somewhat. "And had I known what she was truly feeling, I could have stopped this."

Shockwave offered no words in response.

"I should have done more..."

Shockwave would not have her blame herself, particularly since her agony still lingered in his spark. "Do you understand my logic in their training?" he asked. "This is why strength must be taught at a young age. Solus could have controlled this."

Red Alert murmured, a sound expressing all her lack of energy to argue.

"I didn't think pain could hurt like this," she moaned.

And she cried again.

Shockwave could offer no comfort. He felt his mate's anger beyond the pain. He could see how much she loathed the humans for taking her daughter from her, though she did not speak these sentiments. He did not comprehend why she was so afraid to speak what she felt.

It was her child. It was well within her right.

"Do you not feel any despair for her death?" Red Alert asked him.

It was a loaded question. Asking Shockwave to feel pain or sorrow was like asking a fish to fly; under the right circumstances, it could happen, but it was best that it didn't.

"Telling me I do not feel is quite the opposite." Shockwave said, "In truth, the humans who saw fit to rip apart what we created together fills me with rage beyond all measure. A rage that will be put to use when the time comes. You confuse my lack of outward expression with uncaring. You know how I am and how I have always been."

Red Alert smiled sadly. "I know..."

And she did. Looking deeply into their link, she saw the emotion he did not need to express. She saw the black stab of rage lingering in him. The hatred and the violence that he felt to bring down upon the humans. But he lingered and would wait for the proper moment.

In truth, they were opposites in such a regard. While she had to express her pain, Shockwave contained it. That was his greatest skill. And she still questioned that, confusing it with another emotion he did not feel at all. He did not blame her for that. It was easy to judge him, even unintentionally.

"Where is Jhiaxus now?" she asked, out of the blue.

"He's practicing in the training hall."

"I want to speak with him."

Shockwave did not argue and she climbed out of the berth. She wandered to the training hall and found Jhiaxus in the middle of punching a makeshift bag. He looked furious and panted heavily through his intakes. Red Alert frowned at him.

"Jhiaxus, I need to talk with you," she said.

"Not now, mother." he grunted, "I'm practicing."

"You've been doing so for fifteen hours straight. I think you need to rest."

"No. I don't NEED rest." Jhiaxus began hitting the bag harder now. "I need to get stronger. Stronger, not weaker. I have to do this." His vocals were harsher, as if he was restraining the urge to break down in front of his mother.

Red Alert regarded him with concern. "Jhiaxus?"

She walked over to him and noticed his intakes hitch and his optics shimmer. He started to cry and Red Alert immediately threw her arms around him. He slowly made his way to the floor with his mother holding him in her arms.

"I wasn't strong enough to stop them..." Jhiaxus moaned, into her shoulder.

"No, don't blame yourself for this." Red Alert pressed. "It wasn't your fault."

Jhiaxus simply hung his head, softly weeping. His vocals were harsher than his sister's, so it almost reminded her of Shockwave.

If he ever wept.

O

Grindor was anxious.

Shockwave studied Red Alert's Driller emotionlessly.

Death would come to the human race.

But not yet.

He would wait as he always did. The right moment was sure to come. Optimus Prime was foolish to leave the planet unattended, with only the foolish Autobot band behind. Whatever he wanted of the Creators was surely important, but he abandoned the insects he had so foolishly defended in the past.

He would find these members of Cemetery Wind first. Then he would go for those in KSI. Jhiaxus' recordings proved to be useful in his findings.

Slowly, they would be pulled apart. Piece by piece.

Especially the human known as Joshua Joyce.

Later that evening, Red Alert was dreaming.

_Solus was walking through a field as a youngling. Red Alert was trying to catch up with her, but it seemed as though the more she ran, the further she got._

_Solus stopped and looked back at her mother, sadly waving before the ground below ripped open and she was swallowed into it._

_"NO!" Red Alert screamed._

_She dove into the void to reach her, but Solus was already gone. _

Red Alert awoke from her dream and looked around before covering her optics with two servos.

The child she had given life to was gone.

Slaughtered.

Shockwave sat up and said nothing, placing an arm around her.

_You'll soon accept the ghosts that haunt you..._

Red Alert could feel that whispered warning through their link.

_For me it's always that way._

Shockwave didn't need to speak it. She knew that despite the end of his nightmares, the bots whose lives he had killed haunted him always.

And now they haunted her too.

O

_Note _- As the next films are not yet released, we will see where this fic progresses in the future. For now, there's the ending.


End file.
